As You Are
by KenzoXShuyita
Summary: Almost immediately after passing the 'special test' to become a Genin, Naruto is thrown into a new world because of a failed Jutsu he learned from the Forbidden Scroll. Learning that the world he came into is filled with mages and magic, not ninjas and chakra, Naruto realizes that he needs to adapt...and quickly, too. But there's a problem: Naruto hates school. Kenjutsu Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: Forbidden Technique!**

**A/N: I promise...that this will be the last story I will do unless I finish one of my other ones. Three is a crowd. Seriously...but it was just too much to pass up. Then again, I think I said that for my second story so...hmm...I smell a dilemma here...**

**But anyway...isn't it nice to be back?! Well, I'm not really back, but I've finished studying for my AP's and finals, so that's why I'm writing right now. Actually, I still have my SAT…but I'm not too worried about that. Kind of. **

**So, this is my interpretation of a Naruto/Mahou Sensei Negima Crossover. Although a lot of people told me that this type of story has to have a harem because "hey, it's Negima. Negima is a harem world!", I'm not your normal author now, am I? I explicitly stated in one the chapter in one of my stories (so specific, right?) that I would not do harems, straight out. If you don't like it…well suck it up like a man (or woman) and read the story or kindly pick up a different story and say "woah! This is way better!" :D**

**All ranting aside, I wanted to do this because I felt that…idea hit me and I was surprised that no one wrote something like it and never even got close to it! But then again, it is kind of AU, and there are infinite different interpretations of an alternate universe, but still…**

**Finally, before I finish my A/N, I just want to give a shout out to Vandenbz! He helped me out with the plot of this story and is such a great help (is because he's still helping me out). So kudos to you, sir. Don't worry 'the king of ranting' you'll get your turn. :D**

**Either way, I hope you enjoy this story and this is the first release of my third story: As You Are.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Negima. That goes to Kishimoto and Akamatsu, respectively.**

**Prologue START**

Naruto was panting heavily from sprinting away from the Hokage Tower as quickly as he could after successfully completing his special test. He was tired, but he had actually done it! He had snuck into the Hokage Tower and managed to sneak through all of the high-strung security, quickly grabbing the Forbidden Scroll that was now snugly resting on his back in the process. Dead last he may be, he definitely wasn't so stupid that he didn't know what he had done was an extremely difficult feat that no academy student should have been able to do. To get through the Hokage's own special ANBU that were handpicked by the strongest man in the village and get out of the building without alerting a single one of them was something that even a skilled Jonin should not have been able to do either. Elite Jonin were strong, but ANBU were ANBU, the best of the best, the cream of the crop of all the ninjas in a village, and the ANBU specifically chosen to protect the Hokage were the absolute best.

But that wasn't the point. Naruto was now panting in the forest that he had sprinted to in his barely controlled exhilaration. He wanted to shout and scream in joy, but that could easily gather the attention of some stray civilian or, Kami forbid, one of the ninja searching for him and his precious cargo once the alarm was raised. And that attention was something he didn't need right now, especially if he wanted to pass as a Genin. True, he longed for attention, but not right at this moment. Right now, he just wanted the headband that would shine on his forehead proudly, indicating his vocation and loyalty.

The blond felt he had taken enough time to rest and pushed his hands off of his knees, straightening his back and pulling the large scroll off his back as he looked around, taking a slow check of his surroundings.

'_This seems like the place I'm supposed to be; everything is so different at night. Mizuki did specify to be around this area.'_

The to-be-Genin took a moment to ponder lightly at how Mizuki-sensei would find him, but brushed out the needless thought out of his mind, justifying that Mizuki would find him because he was a Chunin.

As he sat down, Naruto carefully opened the scroll and rolled it out on the floor, widening his eyes as he read the titles of some of the extremely awesome techniques that were now exposed to him. However, there was one technique that caught his attention immediately: the **Shadow Clone Technique**. Now, clones were not Naruto's favorite jutsu in his small repertoire. In fact, it was so far from his favorite that he hated the technique with a passion, but he _needed_ something to act as a misdirection of sort for his pranks or when he needed to run away from the civilians; besides, any addition in numbers was welcome to him. As he read the contents and descriptions under the **Shadow Clone Technique**, Naruto's face lit up as his lips curled up in an excited grin, his excitement showing clearly.

He stood up and brought his hands into the only sign the technique required; Mizuki said to steal the scroll and wait for him. He never said that Naruto couldn't look through the contents of the scroll and take a little prize for himself other than the headband that he longed for.

**XShuyaX**

**(Time Skip: One hour)**

Naruto's body was exhausted as he lay panting on the ground, his back flush against the cool grass in the night as the full moon shone its ethereal light down on him. However, his mind did not register the loss of energy from the joy and euphoria that he'd received from achieving something that he thought was amazing and would lock him in for a position as a Genin. A Genin! He would be a Genin that went through a rigorous special test that required him to sneak into the Hokage Tower and quietly steal one of the village's most prized possessions without getting caught...except by the Hokage, but he had taken care of him with his special technique, the **Sexy no Jutsu**! Either way, Naruto would give back the Forbidden Scroll, but only after Mizuki-sensei had passed him.

'_Now that I think about it, where is Mizuki-sensei? Isn't he running kind of late?'_

At that moment, he heard a quick rustle in the leaves before someone landed in the forest clearing, someone that Naruto recognized immediately. Shooting up from his position, Naruto made a mock-salute and smiled.

"I found you…" Iruka growled with no small amount of irritation, his body crouched downwards so that he towered over Naruto menacingly. Sadly for the teacher, the blond student didn't seem to notice the threat and continued to smile, unperturbed.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said with glee, expecting his sensei to congratulate him and give him his forehead protector immediately. However, the response he received wasn't something he was exactly expecting.

"Don't just 'hey' me, Naruto! What are you doing here this late in the night, and why did you steal the scroll?!" Naruto widened his eyes in surprise before closing them, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"Wasn't that the special mission that you and Mizuki-sensi had planned for me to finally pass as a Genin?" Iruka narrowed his eyes at Naruto's seemingly clueless demeanor. Did the dead last really steal the Forbidden Scroll because he had thought it was a mission and nothing else?

"No, Naruto. Who told you that this was a mission? This could be taken as an act of treason; for Kami's sake, Naruto, you could be put behind bars for this, and this is before you even become a Genin!" Iruka shouted at the surprised blond, worry clearly evident in the older man's voice. Naruto, however, seemed to quickly grasp his usual demeanor again and just smiled his normal, foxy grin as he spoke again.

"It's okay, Iruka-sensei. I would have given it back anyway. I promise that I wouldn't have taken it! You can take my word for it! And besides, I learned this really cool…well..._two _really cool techniques from the scroll. If I show them to you, there's _no way _you can fail me this time!" Iruka wasn't so sure about the cool part, and he wasn't so certain of not failing Naruto either. What could the dead last have learned in the hour that he had the scroll with him to impress him so much that he would give him a forehead protector on the spot? It seemed that he was about to find out when Naruto bent his knees and brought his hands together, but it was all ruined in a single moment when suddenly, multiple kunai and shuriken were thrown from the trees in the surrounding forest.

Iruka, showing that he was certainly Chunin material, quickly moved from his spot and grabbed Naruto in his dash for safety. The projectiles missed, but it was by a hair's length...for only Naruto. If Iruka hadn't responded at the instant he did, the projectiles would have definitely hit Naruto in a location that would have either caused nonstop bleeding or instant death, something that the Chunin noticed with an alert mind. Their assailant in the forest was out to kill.

"Iruka-sensei!" the blond shouted in surprise and worry as he saw his favorite teacher get struck by a multitude of weapons. The blond was obviously frightened by the pieces of metal jutting from Iruka's body, but when he heard Mizuki land in the forest and grin savagely, fear flooded throughout the blond's body. He knew. He knew that it was Mizuki that had hurt Iruka, but the question of _why _Mizuki would do such a thing was echoing in his mind as he tried his best to interpret the situation.

"Thanks for finding the idiot, Iruka," the silver haired man said as he stood up. Naruto noticed two large shuriken strapped to the man's back, only making Naruto even more afraid of the man that he considered his other sensei. The visage of the man became feral as Mizuki smirked at the look Naruto was giving him.

"Naruto, good job on the mission. Now complete it by giving me the scroll!" Mizuki shouted from the tree branch, his smirk gone, now replaced with a serious face that belied his underlying intentions. His hand was extended in expectation, waiting for the stupid blond to throw him the Forbidden Scroll.

"No, Naruto! Whatever you do, don't give it to that traitor!" Iruka shouted, coughing up blood as he finished speaking. Naruto whipped his head from side to side; his mind couldn't take in the serious situation, as a result he was losing his composure. He could paint the Hokage Mountain with ease and run away from Chunin and Jonin alike, considering that a good time, but throw the blond into a situation that was a life-or-death ordeal with a complete lack of instructions, and he would be utterly lost. Of course, he had no real experience in these kinds of situations; usually, it was him that was receiving the beating, not someone taking it for him.

Mizuki snarled when Naruto brought the scroll against his chest, holding it protectively. Iruka relaxed his shoulders, thankful that his student had not given Mizuki the scroll. However, he knew that this was no time to let his guard down; Mizuki was still here, and he was injured. Naruto was not even a Genin. Far from it, in fact; he was the dead last in the academy, so what could the two of them do to hold off Mizuki before backup came?

"Fine, if you're not going to give me the scroll, I'll tell you the truth!" Iruka understood immediately what Mizuki was about to reveal to Naruto, but he couldn't intervene in time. "You know why everybody hates you?! You know what no one could say to you and that you don't know yourself because of a law?! You…YOU are the Kyuubi!" Mizuki shouted at Naruto, revealing what he believed was something that the ignorant blond had no idea of.

Naruto was backing away from Mizuki when he had first begun to scream at him, but he straightened when he heard Mizuki accuse him of being the Kyuubi.

"What?" Naruto asked in a disbelieving tone. Mizuki laughed at Naruto's face; it was so dumbfounded that he had to laugh at it. It was a dirty laugh, more comparable to a sneer that was meant to point at the blond's lack of intelligence. However, Mizuki misinterpreted the look Naruto was making.

"That's right! You're the-"

"Kami, you are stupid." Naruto remarked, interrupted the gloating Chunin. Mizuki dropped his smirk and glared down at Naruto, who was looking back up with his own glare. "What, you think I didn't know that the fox was _sealed _inside of me after being called the _fox _or the _demon _every day? And what, you think I didn't notice that my birthday was October tenth, the same day that Konoha was attacked by the Kyuubi? Not only that, but you think I'm the _Kyuubi_? Someone needs to learn some **Fuinjutsu** and have some respect for the fact that the Fourth Hokage was a Seal Master," Naruto said, his tone laced with anger and fake stupidity.

"Shut up, you demon! I'll kill you!"

"I won't let you!" Iruka shouted with determination, his body shakily getting up despite the pain he was going through. Naruto watched, surprised as his sensei stood up and dropped into a defensive stance, a kunai at the ready.

"Why do you defend that _demon_?! He killed your family!" Iruka shook his head, understanding that the Mizuki that he knew was a façade.

"He's not a demon. He's Naruto…" Iruka turned around and gave the blond a smile and said, "…and he is my precious student who I believe will become Hokage one day." Naruto widened his eyes in shock; this was the first time he had heard someone say that they believed in him and his dream.

"Damn you, Iruka! I'll kill you first and make that demon watch, and then I'll kill him slowly!" Mizuki shouted as he grabbed onto one of the shuriken resting on his back, his voice echoing throughout the forest clearing. His anger was overtaking him, and this was something that Iruka noticed and hoped to take advantage of soon. However, before he could prepare for any kind of attack or frontal assault, Naruto was suddenly standing in front of him, the scroll leaning on the ground as Naruto held it at one end.

"You're not laying a finger on Iruka-sensei, traitor. For everything you think you can do to him, I'll do you worse a thousand times!" Naruto promised, his facial features becoming more and more feral by the second as his chakra output increased to ridiculous levels. Mizuki and Iruka both felt the incredible increase in Naruto's chakra, causing both of them to experience fear for different reasons. One felt that the demon was showing his true colors, and the other felt that the fox was taking control of his pupil.

Despite his fear, Mizuki's pride made the man take one more barb at the weak academy student standing in front of him.

"And what are you going to do? You're not even a Genin. There's no academy student that has ever beaten a Chunin!" Naruto raised his head as he brought his hands together into the Tiger hand sign, his stone-cold blue eyes boring into those of the silver haired man's.

"There's a first for everything. **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)**!" Clouds of smoke enveloped the clearing immediately after Naruto initiated the jutsu. A few moments later, the clouds disappeared, and what appeared in their place made Mizuki fear what would happen in his immediate future.

Hundreds of clones had filled up the clearing and the forest in all directions, each and every one of them staring at Mizuki with a smirk on their faces.

"Hey, why are you backing away?" One of the clones asked when Mizuki faltered in his footsteps.

"Didn't you say you were going to kill me and Iruka?" Another clone asked sarcastically. Iruka looked at the clones that had filled up the clearing and then glanced at the Naruto in front of him with pride; this was the true Naruto who was able to call upon his reserves to use a Jonin-level technique that he only needed an hour to learn. This was Naruto, the boy who he believed would become the Hokage someday, and he was making a hell of a start in his ninja career if the two of them survived the night, and it seemed likely for both of them to live to see another day.

"Well, if you're not coming for me…" Each of the Naruto clones grabbed onto the Forbidden Scroll as if it were a massive club, and then charged at the sweating Chunin. "…Then I'm coming for you!"

"AAAHHHH!" Mizuki's screams of pain were never heard outside of the forest. The sounds of his body getting beaten with a scroll, however, were audible enough inside of the forest, as Iruka watched with a sweatdrop, despite the situation, as Naruto continued to pummel the man with one of the most precious and revered, if not the most precious and revered, scrolls in Konoha's history.

'_Only you, Naruto. Only you would use the Forbidden Scroll to beat someone down with it.'_

After a minute of nonstop pounding, all of the Naruto clones dispersed, leaving the original standing alone in the forest as the night slowly turned to dawn. Mizuki was on the ground, his body broken in multiple places from the severe beating he had just received from the academy's 'dead last'.

"Wow. Is he really a Chunin ninja, Iruka? I didn't think they were supposed to be _this _weak," Naruto said, stating his internal thoughts. Iruka chose not to reply, as he was a Chunin as well and probably even weaker than Mizuki was. He leaned against the wooden building, breathing in slowly as the fresh scent of the forest entered him; the wounds he had received were nothing major. All the two had to do now was wait for ANBU to arrive at the scene to arrest the traitor. Then they would have to explain what had occurred to the Hokage so that Naruto wouldn't get into too much trouble, although explaining how Naruto had beaten Mizuki would be…interesting. Telling the Hokage that the blond had not only beaten a Chunin, but had absolutely pummeled him with the Forbidden Scroll would definitely get some kind of reaction from the Hokage, most likely laughter.

Iruka slowly started to get up, remembering that he had to go to the Academy to give one last speech to the graduating class and assign them their teams. But first, he would have to go to his place to clean up; arriving at school with bloodstains on his clothing and holes in his jacket and pants was probably not the best way to go to the Academy or give his final speech. No, that probably would frighten the children, despite the educational purposes it could serve.

'_Speaking of Genin…'_

"Naruto, come over here," Iruka said. Naruto was standing in the same spot as before, his eyes closed as he reattached the scroll to his back.

"Hai, Iruka-sensei," the blond responded quickly. He walked away from the downed body of Mizuki and walked over to his teacher that he vastly appreciated right now; Iruka had said he believed in him, so Naruto didn't want to let him down in any way. When the blond was right at Iruka's feet, he stopped and sat on the ground in front of his teacher.

"I have a present for you, Naruto, so close your eyes." The blond eagerly shut his eyes, waiting for whatever Iruka would give him. A few moments later, he felt something cool press against his forehead, and then a fabric warp around his head. "You can open your eyes now."

Naruto opened his eyes disbelievingly. Iruka was smiling warmly at the blond, his forehead completely bare. Tears began to seep out of the blond's eyes before he threw himself at his sensei in a strong hug.

"Ouch, you brat. I still have injuries!" Iruka said, although it wasn't in anger; the term he used for Naruto was more out of endearment and pride. After three tries, Naruto had finally succeeded into becoming a Genin; what teacher wouldn't be proud of someone that constantly strived for his aspirations and did their best every day?

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" Naruto apologized immediately as he let go of Iruka and stood up, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment as he laughed. Iruka couldn't help it; he laughed with his student before slowly standing up again. "Hey, Iruka. Want to see something cool?" Iruka raised his eyebrows; what else did the blond have to show him?

'_Actually…shouldn't I say no? 'Cool' coming from Naruto is something like painting the Hokage Mountain so…' _However, before Iruka could even respond, Naruto was already going through a few hand signs slowly, not even waiting for his teacher to respond whether he wanted to see or not. _'I figured as much.'_

Suddenly, an ANBU appeared in a swirl of leaves in the clearing along with multiple Chunin and Jonin. Naruto, who had been going through his hand signs, faltered in his last hand sign before slamming the ground with his right palm. What occurred next would confuse what happened to the blond, and this would remain an enigma until Iruka was able to recall what seals Naruto had performed before suddenly disappearing in a plume of smoke, the blond and the Forbidden Scroll not visible in any portion of the clearing after the smoke dissipated. None of the higher-tiered ninjas could feel anything; the blond's chakra signature was simply…gone. And with that realization, one singular thought ran amongst the group of ninjas in the clearing.

'_We are screwed when we report this to the Hokage.'_

A groan was heard from the clearing. The ninjas took a moment to stop looking around before noticing a lump of beaten flesh in the middle of the clearing, groaning in pain as it regained consciousness.

"Someone grab the traitor and send him to the T&amp;I Department. There are some questions he is going to answer." One of the Chunin went up to Mizuki and grabbed him before all of the ninjas in the clearing disappeared as one in either a swirl of leaves or a plume of smoke.

**XShuyaX**

**(Location: Outskirts of Mahora)**

A woman continued to swing her sword in methodical and beautifully practiced strokes; not a single motion was wasted as she flawlessly swung her blade in a diagonal arc. Spinning around and twirling her body, she performed a circular slice through the air, the sharpness of the swing creating a high pitched sound that screamed danger.

Suddenly, her relaxed swings stopped as the blonde woman became tense, feeling a kind of pressure buildup to the west of her. She was on the outskirts of Mahora, so going a little bit further wasn't too much of a hassle; in fact, whatever she had felt was right outside of the barrier surrounding Mahora, so the Headmaster would not have any idea what the pressure was. In fact, unless someone was as skilled as she was at sensing or was nearby, they would not notice the buildup of pressure. With this train of thoughts in mind, the woman sheathed her sword but kept it firmly in her hand in case whatever she found required the use of her blade.

Sprinting through the forest, Touko Kuzohana found what she was looking for…at least that was what she thought. What she found was a blond child that had not even started puberty based on his height. He was face down with a ridiculously large scroll strapped onto his back, although the scroll was completely outdone by the oddity of the boy's choice of clothing.

'_What kind of clothing is that?'_ The master swordswoman asked to herself as she allowed herself to get closer; then again, she had seen stranger arrays and styles of clothing during her visits to the magical world. Carefully walking up to the boy, although she felt no real threat from him, she eventually ended up at his side as she stood right above him. Looking down at him, the blond child was softly breathing, seemingly asleep. However, not one to take things just by appearance, she leaned down and touched the boy's neck to check for a pulse to check how healthy he was. Confirming that he was actually sleeping and in no actual danger, the next question that came to mind was why this child was sleeping in a forest in the outskirts of Mahora with such tattered, abominable clothing and a scroll attached to his back. However, she knew her questions would only be answered once the whiskered blond woke up.

Touko bent down and picked up the surprisingly light blond carefully before placing him in a compromising position against her side so that if he woke up, she would notice him squirming or trying to fight back. The twelve year old groaned when he was lifted off the ground but made no kind of resistance, showing exactly how unconscious he was. Ninjas were supposed to be able to react to any situation, and ninjas were trained to be aware enough so that even when asleep, one would wake up instinctually to someone with hostile intent nearby. Naruto, who had been the bane of his village from his birth, had been chased away by various shopkeepers and struck multiple times by the villagers, civilians, and even a few of the ninja. As a result, the newly instated Genin should have been able to wake up the moment Touko took her first step into the clearing Naruto was in due to her readiness to draw her sword, and especially the moment he was picked up. However, chakra exhaustion along with the botched jutsu Naruto had done prior to arriving in this new world was forcing his body to recover.

Taking her time to walk to her house instead of going to the hospital, she took a few moments to appreciate the care that the Headmaster and other officials showed in taking care of the nature around the large institution. After nearly half an hour of walking with Naruto still as a dead weight against her side along with his scroll, she arrived at her house, which was a cozy two-story establishment with clean white-washed walls and a stone pavestone path to the wooden double front doors. She was immensely thankful that no passerby had noticed her carrying this unknown boy, perhaps chalking it up to him being a relative of hers due to his age and sharing her hair color if they had seen the two of them.

Opening her door with her left hand since the other was currently busy holding the blond against her side, she was welcomed by the cool air that escaped through the door. Letting out a sigh of relief, she stepped into her house after removing her shoes and carefully placing them against the wall near the door. It was the season of humid air and celebration, a time of hot and sexy girls going over to the beach in their bikinis, and it was the time for kids to celebrate that there was no school for those precious months. Basically, it was summer.

Inside of the house, Touko placed the blond on a couch after carefully slipping the large scroll off of his back. While she took the scroll off of the blond, she realized that there were patches of blood on the scroll. However, there was no blood on the blond on any part of his body…meaning that the blood was not his. This troubled the woman, but she wouldn't make any assumptions, or not at least until the blond had woken up and had answered a few of her questions. And before asking questions, she would take a shower.

Fifteen minutes later, she was freshened and cleaned up, now wearing comfortable casual clothing. Thinking back on her decision earlier to not take the blond boy to the hospital, she found that it was a good choice. If she had taken the boy to the hospital, he would be placed in a neutral environment. There would be no reason for him to really answer the questions any of the staff of Mahora had even if they stated that they found him. If that was the case, all he had to do was say thanks and leave. Even if the Headmaster tried to exert his authority by declaring that the unknown child was technically on his grounds, the whiskered teen could just as easily say he was just passing by. In all technicalities, he was, since he was outside of Mahora's borders when Touko had picked him up.

And so, taking him to a comfortable home was a much better decision. After feeding him and giving him some spare clothing, he would be much more willing to answer questions and respond to any curiosities Touko had. She was uncertain why, but she had a feeling that she would want to keep his identity a secret.

For now, however, she would begin cooking a meal for herself…and her "guest" that she had brought in with her.

**XShuyaX**

**(Time Skip: One Hour)**

"Ugh…" Naruto groaned as he woke up. Experimentally opening his eyes, he was surprised to note that he was not in a forest or in a hospital, but rather lying on a comfortable couch. Taking a quick look around him, he noticed that the large scroll was leaning against the wall on the opposite end of the room, which was quite far away since he was in what he guessed was the house's living room.

He sat up against the couch, still surprised he was not in a hospital or his apartment. Looking around the room, he found it very neat and even large, nothing like his old room that seemed to constantly have broken pipes and electrical issues. The white washed walls weren't like his home at all; the way the room was organized and furnished felt more comforting than anything he had felt in the Konoha hospital. Not only that, but there was this…amazing smell coming from outside the room.

Taking his first steps inside the house, his feet thudded quietly, but apparently he was not quiet enough.

"Oh, you're awake? That's good. Why don't you come in the kitchen?" A woman's voice suggested from where the smell was coming from. The blond complied; his stomach was thinking more than his head currently. Turning right at the end of the room and entering into the kitchen, he widened his eyes when he saw a beautiful blonde woman sitting calmly at a table filled with delicacies of an unknown variety.

The blonde woman had a very full, hourglass body and beautifully colored skin. Her long hair went down to just above her thighs, only heightening her beauty. There were glasses resting on the table, which he assumed were hers. He looked at her, dazed at both her beauty and the food taunting him on the table.

"Ahhh…" She laughed politely before motioning him to sit on the chair on the opposite end of the table.

"Please, sit down. You must be hungry." At that moment, Naruto's stomach decided to betray him and growled hungrily. He laughed, embarrassed, before quickly sitting down. But he did not begin to eat, instead opting to stare at the table with a somewhat sheepish look. Touko looked at the child sitting across from the table, her chopsticks skillfully held in her fingers. "Aren't you going to eat?" She asked, a bit confused as to why the boy was hesitating to eat; she knew he was a lot skinnier than he looked because of the clothing he wore. Despite her voice having no real concern in it, mentally, she was worried that the blond was malnourished.

Naruto looked up at the woman that was smiling at him. He gave a fake smile back before speaking his mind.

"I'm just wondering why you're feeding me. Also, do you know where I am? I usually end up in a hospital room or at my house if I lose consciousness, so I was just wondering where this is. I've been around the village multiple times, and I don't think I've ever noticed a house like this." Naruto had, of course, not gone into every single building, but he had gone around the village multiple times, including the wealthy section and the not so good districts.

But the reason why Naruto was asking this was not just out of curiosity; he was plainly nervous. There was no one in Konoha that he knew that would treat him this kindly unless it was Ayame nee-chan or Teuchi oji-san. He had been treated kindly before…and he was betrayed every single time by getting backstabbed or hurt. He just didn't want to feel that kind of pain again.

Touko put down the chopsticks, her smile still on her face, despite the fact that she had noticed the fake smile plastered on the child's face and the few facts he had let slip, as if they were common things. Who loses consciousness for no apparent reason and constantly ends up at the hospital? She would have heard about him if he lived in Mahora. Also, what village could the boy possibly be talking about; there was no village even remotely near Mahora!

"You are in Mahora, and you are currently in my house where I am offering you food to eat. So _eat_…unless you want to say that my cooking is awful…" The way the older blonde said the last part of her statement made Naruto fear for his life for a moment. Making the wise choice, he quickly picked up the chopsticks and expertly picked up a piece of fish. Touko, satisfied that the blond was eating, began to eat as well. During their silent meal, she noticed that the child had relaxed somewhat as the meal progressed; he would only pick a certain food after she had eaten it.

'_Is he suspicious that I poisoned the meal?' _

After their silent meal, a roaring silence replaced the quiet sounds of pieces of metal clinking against plates. Touko went straight to business, placing her hands together on the top of the table in a business-like manner. Naruto instinctively straightened in the chair, watching the woman warily.

"My name is Touko Kuzohana. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? I'm a bit curious on a few details that I just cannot connect the dots to." Naruto shook his head slowly, giving her his quiet and hesitant acceptance. "Good. Could you explain to me why you said that you lose consciousness as if it was a common affair and that you go to the hospital often? That certainly is not healthy, and where are your parents if you are having these difficulties?" Naruto flinched; he was not expecting this. This woman…she didn't seem to know anything about him!

'_Maybe…I could make her like me before the villagers tell her lies about me!' _Naruto thought hopefully, oblivious to the fact that he was nowhere near Konoha, and that he was, instead, in a whole new world.

"Ah, I'm Uzumaki Naruto." Touko made no reaction to the name, which encouraged Naruto even more. "I was training out in the forest and I lose consciousness every so often because of this reason. When I do, I normally end up in the hospital…but I hate it there because the doctors rarely give me the time of day unless the Hokage orders them to. As for my parents…I don't know of any." Touko held in a gasp; that would explain his malnourished state…no, it didn't. Then what about foster homes?

'_No one tried to adopt him? There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him…' _She thought to herself.

'_She didn't recognize my name…maybe she really doesn't know me!' _Realizing that his chance to make a new…friend…was a possibility, Naruto pushed through.

"I'm surprised you have never heard of me before. I'm the best prankster in the world!" He boasted, thumping his closed right fist against his chest for emphasis. Touko let out another polite giggle, her hand over her mouth as her eyes closed in mirth.

"No, Naruto-chan. I'm sorry to tell you I've never heard of you before. And it's hard to believe when you wear such a noticeable choice of attire." The blond opened his eyes in shock and in excitement for obvious reasons and for reasons now explained before arguing that orange was a wonderful color and that everyone should wear it. Suddenly, a previous statement Touko had made to him made him stop speaking immediately. His mouth was halfway open, about to say something before he closed it. Then, he opened it again after carefully deliberating how to ask his question.

"You said I was in Mahora, right? Where exactly is Mahora?" He asked, an embarrassed chuckle escaping his lips.

At that moment, Touko had a theory enter her head, and wanting to test that theory, she stood up and began to walk towards the front door. Naruto stood from the table and followed silently. When the two walked outside, Naruto widened his eyes in shock at the world around him that was so different from the Konoha that he knew. There were street posts and lamps…but what were those 'things' with wheels moving without any kind of horse or animal? And what kind of clothing were the girls wearing? In fact, why did the guys and girls seem to have similar clothing; almost all of them were wearing identical clothing based on gender.

"Where…am I? This isn't Konoha." Touko took this moment to step to Naruto's side but made no motion to look at him, instead looking at the exact scene that was making Naruto wide-eyed with shock.

"_This _is Mahora. It appears you have never heard of us before or been near here?" Naruto didn't respond; his mind was going into overdrive at this moment. Suddenly, his thoughts all reached one destination and conclusion: he was no longer in Konoha. He wasn't even in the Elemental Nations anymore. Whatever his failed **Reverse Summoning Technique **had done had ripped him out of Konoha and threw him into a different world…entirely.

And the worst part about this realization was the fact that he didn't know how to respond to it. In fact, he felt more relief than sadness; he had lived his whole life in Konoha and was thrown into a place he had no knowledge of. And yet, he felt happy that he was away from that place. He would rather have not known the people in Konoha that hated him; nearly every face was the same in Konoha, giving him that dirty sneer or glare that clearly showed their hatred. And here…the first face he had seen gave him a kind smile, a warm welcome…even food. Sakura-_chan? _More like Sakura-_who__**. **_The more he thought of it, the more he realized that he was a fool…his crush on Sakura was blind. Comparing this lady that he had just met to Sakura, Touko-san completely outranked the pink-haired banshee in everything; what made her so special to him was something that was becoming more and more of an enigma.

If anything, he felt sad that he had left Hokage-jiji, and especially his pseudo sister and father at the ramen counter. The thought of leaving those two made the realization of leaving Konoha suddenly very painful. Tears sprung out of his now red colored eyes with vertical slits.

The woman mage that was second only to the Headmaster, stood silently, waiting for Naruto to make any kind of emotion. When he began to cry, she bent down to her knees and asked –

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice full of concern, something Naruto was a stranger to. For some reason, this made the blond child cry even more as he nodded his head and tried to wipe his tears away, except more would pour down his cheeks and drip off his chin. He wasn't used to this kind of treatment, and when it suddenly came to him…all of his bottled up emotions just wanted to be let out.

She didn't know why she did what she did next. Maybe it was because she never had any child of her own, despite her still youthful age of thirty, or maybe it was because she felt a certain connection to the child. Whatever the reason, she leaned forwards and brought her hands around the blond, bringing him closer to her chest.

He only cried more.

**Chapter End.**

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first installment of "As You Are". Like I said before, this is a Naruto/Setsuna pairing. Don't expect anyone else, because I **_**do not **_**do harems. At all.**

**Leave a review if you hated it, loved it, liked it, have some criticism, whatever. I'm all ears. :D**


	2. Chapter 2: School?

**Chapter 1: School?**

**A/N: Woah…it's good to see that people still enjoyed my story and are reading it despite the fact it's not a harem and stuff.**

**A bit of a shorter chapter, but it'll get longer as time goes on. **

**Yeah, I didn't really mean to write abomination for Naruto's clothing. I was thinking about it and realized it probably was not the best choice while writing, but went through with it anyway. Probably not the best decision.**

**MistahWompah: Thanks for telling me about my flaws. I really appreciate your review and will try to work on it as I continue to write. Not going to lie, fixing my errors is going to be difficult and take some time. But of course, it's all a process, and process takes time, so I'm willing to wait.**

**Information on the Story: By the way, for those who are kind of annoyed that Naruto will be using a sword, I chose this because of the characters that Naruto will be revolved around and will be with the majority of his early time at Mahora. Until he becomes proficient with chakra, he will be focusing on swordplay. Do not fret, for those who worry about how Naruto will scale compared to Negi when the Negima MC grows ridiculously strong. Naruto will just have to keep up…with shadow clones. There is a reason I gave him the Forbidden Scroll. He'll end up more like a Jack Rakan, except he'll use swords rather than chakra unless he needs to become serious.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Negima. However, I do own this plot and the personalities of the characters…or not. I don't own those either.**

**Chapter 1 START**

"Are you alright now?"

Naruto had just stopped crying, although there were still the random spasms from crying so much. He wasn't expecting to cry that hard over something like leaving Konoha. At first, he was somewhat delighted to be leaving a place with so many people that had scorned him, treating him as if he was the demon fox, an idea that could be scoffed at by any person that had a three-digit IQ.

But that was exactly the problem. He had lived for so long in Konoha, he didn't know what to expect in a world where his values and his views on the world may not match with that of this new world. It was…frightening. But he was Naruto, the most unpredictable academy student – wait, he was a Genin now.

'_I'll be fine. When did something ever bring me down?' _He thought to himself weakly, his mind still in turmoil.

"Are you okay, Naruto?"

But it was not only his values that could be challenged; he came from a world of ninjas and where killing was a common event. There was also the fact that his goals would have to change as well. For all his brain could think up on the spot, this world may not look at fighting favorably, and he may have no real place in society here as much as in the Elemental Nations. He had wanted to be a ninja for so long, he didn't know what he would do if he couldn't be one.

"Naruto, answer me. Are you okay now?" This time, Touko asked as she shook the blond's shoulders, breaking him from his trance.

"Huh?" Looking up, no longer with glazed over pupils, he found himself staring at the concerned face of the first person he met in the new world. Bringing up his arm to his eyes, he wiped his tears away before breaking out a wide smile.

"I'm fine! Don't worry about me!" He stated with fake confidence and bravado as he took a step backwards and gave the platinum haired woman a thumbs-up.

In return, Touko smiled and stood up before walking back to the house, motioning for Naruto to follow. He complied, his smile dropping as soon as Touko turned her back on him.

"Where is this place?" He muttered to himself before walking inside of the comfortable establishment. Upon entering, he immediately noticed that Touko had already sat down on a couch with two steaming cups of honey tea resting on a table. Taking the unsent order to sit, he sat on the other sofa and acted as he normally would: happy and ignorant.

"Woah, this is so comfortable!" Naruto complimented, completely taken aback by the comfort of the furniture in comparison to his old, run-down apartment. Touko smiled complacently.

"Thank you. Now, Naruto, can you please tell me where you are from?" Naruto suddenly looked away from the ceiling and the walls and looked at the woman.

"Huh?" Suddenly pointing to his forehead protector in pride, he responded with a large grin. "Ninjas can't give any information!" Touko nodded, as if understanding the situation; inside, however, she was laughing at the childish innocence the blond exuded. Stating that he was a ninja meant that he was most likely not a practitioner of magic, although there was still a small chance that he could use mana. For certain, however, the blond was not from the magical world. So much for ninjas that cannot give any information; with just that statement, he gave a load of information away.

"I see. So you are a ninja?" Naruto's grin widened.

"I'm a fully instated ninja, 'ttebayo!" He exclaimed with pride. Touko almost giggled uncontrollably at the verbal tic the blond child seemed to have, but she let it off with a somewhat larger smile.

"Okay, ninja-san. Do you have anywhere to go?" She asked in a seemingly innocent and curious tone. At the question, Naruto faltered, and his smile immediately drooped slightly, but his determined spirit forced him to try and smile, so it ended up with him somewhere in between a smile and a frown with his mouth open.

'_Where…do I go? I remember the Academy did a survival training camp…but I wasn't included because the instructors never told me about it, so I just stayed at the Academy while the other students were outside the village. What should I say?'_

Taking his lack of response as an answer of its own, Touko pressed forward.

"If you have nowhere to go, there are multiple places you can stay on this campus if you have money. If you do not, I would not mind if you stayed with me," Touko said with motherly affection in her voice, a complacent smile equaling the emotions coming from her eyes.

That was something completed unexpected to the young blond. Naruto opened his eyes wider in surprise, not expecting such a statement from the first person he met in…well, wherever he was. But slowly, without him realizing it, his faith in other people was changing because the first person he met was acting so kindly to him. To him right now, Touko Kuzohana was an absolute angel.

"I…hehehe," Naruto faltered again, sheepishly scratching the back of his head while giving off an embarrassed laugh to try and cover up the fact he didn't know how to answer. Honestly he wanted to say yes so badly, but he also didn't want to be a burden. And there was also the fact that he was a Jinchurriki, a container of the most powerful of the demons. If he said yes, what would Touko say when she found out that he was a Jinchurriki? And he didn't want to be a burden to the first person he met, but he needed to become assimilated with this…new world. Just the idea of it was difficult to grasp. Now there's a whole bunch of other factors thrown in there? Those were the thoughts circling Naruto's mind as he quickly weighed his options.

"Do you use ryo here?" The younger blond asked. Touko raised a delicate eyebrow and shook her head slowly.

"No; in Japan, we use yen, although there are other types of money. However, I do not recall ryo being a kind of money," she stated. Naruto inwardly cursed; he felt so lost at the moment, but he still felt it was absolutely necessary for him to not be a burden. Therefore, he decided on an answer.

"I think I'll figure something out, but thank y-" Naruto suddenly stopped midsentence, freezing completely on the couch. Touko raised her eyebrow a few millimeters, but her face showed complete worry when the blond in front of her froze for over five seconds.

"Are you okay?" She asked, about to stand up to give the young boy a closer look. Suddenly, he twitched, and then slowly, almost mechanically, looked up to face her with a befuddled look on his face, his lips half open. Giving the boy a focused look, she noticed something strange. One of his eyes was a crimson red, and the other eye was the color of the ocean.

"I…I…"

'_What's this feeling? It feels like something is entering me and I need to let it out or else I'll explode from it!' _Naruto thought to himself, completely confused and afraid of his current situation.

"What's wrong?" Touko asked in an urgent tone, feeling something building up in the blond. It felt like…magic? But it felt so dense and so feral, almost threatening, that she immediately went on guard, her sword already in her hands in a moment. Something was becoming visible around the blond, almost like some kind of unleashed energy. It went straight form around his feet to the ceiling, only stopping because of the solid barrier preventing it from moving more.

"I'm…what's **happening**?!" Naruto shouted, his voice changing suddenly when he looked down at his hands and saw that his nails had extended and that some strange, red thing was seeping out of his skin in bubbles, forming a kind of viscous coating.

Taking a moment to give a frightened and devastated look with his two different colored eyes, Naruto blurred into action, barely preventing himself to succumbing to the urges that were constantly penetrating his mind. Running as quickly as he could, Naruto was barely visible as he ran away from the house in a random direction. Anywhere was fine, as long as it was away from _her_, from Touko-san.

Touko, who was trying her best to keep up with Naruto, had already begun to infuse magic into her body to speed up her movements, her sheathed sword in her hand in case the blond did something dangerous. Realizing that he was instinctively going in the direction of the forest, she felt relieved, but it was only for a moment. If he didn't stop at the forest and kept running past it, then he would end up in the main district of the city, and that was just simply dangerous. Not just for civilians, but also for all mages; how would they be able to explain the phenomenon of a boy running at astronomical speeds through the city with a red, bubbling coat around him? Yeah, that wasn't really possible. So, her obvious reaction to her thoughts was to make a grim face as she once again increased her speed.

'_This has to be Kyuubi!' _Naruto thought to himself, barely restraining himself from going berserk. Suddenly stopping, Naruto took a moment to take note of his surroundings. Barely able to coherently understand that he was in a forest clearing, meaning that no one should be around, he began to grip his locks of hair fiercely as he fell to his knees, screaming in pain as he let the excess chakra begin to release. At first, the coating around Naruto became more apparent and solid, but as time passed, his control went haywire, and the chakra began to fly all around him in swirls and vicious arcs, creating a kind of tornado barrier around the blond. The wind picked up around him, and the trees and shrubs shook as a result.

'_So much power…'_

"_**That's right, Naruto. Accept it…all of it!"**_

'_I don't…want this!' _Naruto yelled internally in determination, his two eyes constantly changing colors as he fought once more against Kyuubi, but this time, it was completely internal.

Touko knew she was getting close to the troubled blond when she began to hear a faint scream. Suddenly, a pressure suddenly hit her, and to say it was simply stifling was a huge understatement. It hit her like a ton of bricks, winding her and making her cut her breath short for a moment. Luckily, it was just outside of the school's barrier, although there was still a possibility that the Headmaster and nearby staff members or other magically aware persons felt the heavy pressure.

With her experience, she quickly regained her composure, being a skilled swordswoman and having dealt with situations like this in her past multiple times. This one couldn't be that different…right?

So, she moved forwards until she was just outside of the clearing Naruto was in. The moment she entered the clearing, the small zephyr became a torrential wind, almost making her lose her footing. The blond was in the center of the clearing, bent over on his knees with his forehead against the floor as he screamed, his voice constantly changing from his youthful voice to a somewhat darker tone. It was…a frightening experience for Touko.

Suddenly, the blond threw his whole body up into an arch and screamed to the sky as the pressure increased once more. This time, all of the dark, crimson chakra escaping from the blond flew into the air. After a few seconds, the wind finally began to die down, and the pressure began to disappear. Touko dropped her arm from above her eyes. Focusing on the small boy, she saw him stock still, just looking up to the blue sky above. And then, he began to fall to the ground so slowly…so painfully slow. Right before he hit the unforgiving ground beneath him, he was grabbed, one arm wrapped around his chest to prevent his fall. Barely opening his now cerulean colored eyes, Naruto was barely able to recognize the blonde hair of the person that held him before he went into a comatose state.

"…Touko…san…"

And then his body went completely slack, his eyes barely open through heavily lidded eyes, leaving his dull eyes barely visible. Touko stayed still and silent, holding the blond as she tried to figure out what had just happened.

That energy…was so powerful; it was nothing like she had ever felt before. It definitely wasn't mana, and that deep, crimson color threw chi right out the window. So what was it?

What the woman didn't know was that Naruto's prisoner was now complete. Not just half of the chakra, but complete with both Yin and Yang forms. It only took some time for it to follow the blond, and now that it had reached him, it combined with its other half, resulting in such a huge influx of chakra that Naruto was barely able to contain it. Even now, it was struggling to fit completely inside the blond by widening his chakra pool and pathways.

What occurred was simple. The chakra inside on Minato Namikaze was forced out of the man and followed the other half. First off, inter-dimensional travel was one hell of a fickle thing, and there are certain laws that must obviously be followed, and dominance was one of them. Naruto was alive and had chakra; Minato was dead, and chakra didn't really matter to a person that was dead. So, in the little tug of war for who retained the Kyuubi, Naruto won by a landslide. And let's not forget about the fact that the whole is sometimes greater than the sum of its parts; in this case, half of the Kyuubi's chakra remaining in Minato and half in Naruto was not a whole. Things don't travel through dimensions in parts, they travel in wholes...pun not intended.

Deciding that she wouldn't gain any answers by sitting still, she stood up and once against headed towards her home with the same unconscious blond, but this time with even more questions.

A few moments after Touko had left the clearing and was a fair distance away from the forest, a small blonde girl landed in the center of the clearing, a female-like robot appearing a few seconds after.

"Tch, they must have taken the evidence away. I was certain it was right here as well…well, no matter. We will find out what it is sooner or later," the younger girl said in a flippant tone. The robot nodded her head silently.

"I agree. But Master Evangaline, we must go back before your tea gets cold. You left it so suddenly."

"Hmm…you're right, Chachamaru. Tea is much more interesting." They then jumped away in a synchronized movement, disappearing from the clearing without giving a single glance back.

**XShuyaX**

**(Location: Naruto's Mindscape)**

"**Naruto…**" The Kyuubi rumbled, its voice reverberating powerfully, shaking the water layer. Suddenly, a blond shot up from under the water, his back facing the Kyuubi. Slowly turning around, the blond finally came face to face with his prisoner. The two remained frozen in place, one barely looking over his shoulder, and the other staring with a feral glare at its tenant.

"**What? So afraid you can't even say a thing**?" Kyuubi jested with a smirk, pointing out Naruto's silence and stillness. The blond continued to remain still, his barely contained fear almost apparent. After a few seconds, Naruto finally whispered out -

"…Kyuubi…" The large fox grinned menacingly before suddenly slamming one of its claws against the cage bars, rattling the metal dangerously. The blond flinched as a reaction, but otherwise remained frozen in place.

"**Good to know that the idiot knows who I am. That way, unnecessary introductions won't need to be made**." Naruto suddenly found his backbone at the shot at his intelligence, completely facing the giant fox with a grim look.

"Not that I would want to know the person that put me through hell, anyway," the blond shot back. "Why the hell would I want to even know you?" Kyuubi snarled in response, slamming its claws with even more force than before. Then, it brought its face forwards until it pressed against the cage bars, his two eyes glaring at its container. The seal and the kunai…what a huge difference there was between the two…

"**I am the mighty Kyuubi no Kitsune, and I deserve respect…is complete bullshit, and I'm not stupid enough to say that. But understand this: if I were out of this cage, you would be nothing, and I would be able to squash you without even a thousandth of my power!**" If Kyuubi was expecting Naruto to respect power, he was quickly proven wrong.

"Uh-huh. And that's why you got shut down by a piece of paper, right? You know what? All you are is a curse! For Kami's sake, you shouldn't even exist! I don't care about your power! I don't care about what you can do for me by inducing me to go into a rage just like before! I hate you…EVERYTHING about you!" Naruto screamed, his voice echoing multiple times through his mindscape before silence descended. For a few moments, the two remained quiet, neither doing anything but glaring and breathing.

Kyuubi was a chakra being full of rage and anger, but it was also a very, very old being with quite some wisdom. Fighting with a twelve-year old brat would not be considered wise. A great being like him shouldn't even deign to talk to a loudmouth blond in any case.

"And your rabbit ears are stupid," Naruto remarked as an afterthought. Kyuubi's ears twitched from the insult. Screw wisdom, the kid talked about his ears and compared it to a rabbit's!

"**What the hell did you say, gaki**! **Do you want to die?!**" It threatened.

"Who the hell wants to die? And you can't even touch me! Besides, if I die, you die, so I don't give a damn about you, Baka no Kitsune!"

"**Who are you calling a baka**! **From what I remember, you were not only the dead last, but also fell for that traitor Chunnin's plans."**

"Shut up! Go fuc-"

Suddenly, Naruto disappeared from the sewer in a flash. Kyuubi just stared in shock for a moment before grumbling and sighing to itself.

"**Why did I even bother to argue with this brat? I was supposed to be menacing, not some arguing, pushover fox. Next time…I'll get that through his thick skull…**"

**XShuyaX**

**(Location: Touko's House)**

"Ugh…" Naruto groaned, fluttering his eyes open. The smell of food once again made itself known to him. Seems like a certain pattern was ensuing. The blond tried to get up…tried being the key word. He immediately regretted it. His muscles screamed at him to go back down and he complied, although going down was just as painful as going up. He let out a small hiss of pain when his back went flush against the soft cushion of the couch he was currently resting on.

A few moments later, Touko came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands with a towel. Her eyes fell upon Naruto and she immediately widened her eyes in surprise when she saw the young blond staring straight back at her with a silent look.

"Naruto, how are you up already? You shouldn't been out for at least a day!" She stated; this was beyond any kind of regeneration she had ever seen! Evangaline was different; she was a vampire and regenerated wounds and physical injuries. Naruto was injured internally and was obviously not a vampire, so his regenerative capabilities for a human were simply inhuman. All of his muscles had been torn, and whatever energy that was inside him seemed to be out of control.

"I don't know. I've never been out longer than a day when I get injured," he said simply, lying about not knowing. Oh, he knew now. The evidence was just shown to him a few minutes prior. There was a large, nine-tailed fox in his stomach, and there was simply no refuting that now. Seeing is believing, right?

"I see." A pause. "Well, are you hungry? I just made dinner, and if you would like, I could make some for you." Naruto didn't respond. Silence descended once more between the two. One was silently waiting patiently, and the other was thinking.

"Why are you so nice to me? You saw what _I_ am…and what I contain inside me," Naruto said distastefully, deciding to stop hitting around the bush. She saw it, and to him, there was nothing more to hide. His status as a Jinchurriki had physically been revealed.. The simple thought of the Kyuubi sealed in his stomach was giving him another headache, making him think. And a thinking Naruto was not a good Naruto.

Touko silently moved over to the other couch and sat down in such a way so that she was visible to Naruto. Her dinner could wait; a child in suffering was her priority.

"I am well-accustomed to magic, and I have seen many things in my years, however short they may be. It's true that you are the first I have seen with such large reserves…and the first I have seen taken by something inside. However, I am no stranger to demons; in fact, this school has mages, demons, ninjas, and other kinds of _people _that no longer surprise me. If I let the simple fact that you have something inside you cloud my judgment and act rudely to you, then I shouldn't be a teacher. A teacher is meant to be someone understanding, a family member outside the family." She stopped for a moment, letting it all sink in.

'_Doesn't sound like the right definition for family…' _Naruto thought to himself softly, a thoughtful look in his eyes as he looked at Touko quietly, taking in everything like a sponge.

"Are you afraid of what you contain?" It was a simple question, but surprisingly bold as well. Just a question, somewhat personal, and yet extremely important to Naruto's identity.

"I…am afraid of it…and I hate it!" Naruto hissed quietly, this time in anger. "I hate its very existence! I never asked for it, and yet it was given to me at birth. I never wanted it, and I never even knew of its existence in me until I became five." The angry blond balled his fists and clenched his teeth as all the memories of Konoha's citizens making his life hell came in a flood. It wasn't home any more in his eyes, but just Konoha. "Every time I regenerated from…" Naruto almost let out the fact he was beaten by mobs, but stopped himself, albeit barely. "…injuries, I was reminded of the fact there was a damned fox in me!"

Touko remained silent as Naruto continued to vent his frustrations. It was therapy in a way; Naruto had no one to tell his troubles to, and here, someone was listening quietly. There was no acceptance or hatred in her look, but just simple curiosity and interest as she continued to listen. After the frustrated blond seemed to be finished, she spoke.

"So, the bond between you two is permanent. If you die, it dies. Both sides would be better off being separate, but that is not a possibility. If that is the case…work together," she finished simply, concluding her thoughts. Naruto widened his eyes and stared at her with disbelief. Work with the Kyuubi? He was better off becoming the Kage for all the nations!

"Don't say it's impossible, and don't tell me that you won't do it for pride or any kind of reason. You said that you wanted to be acknowledged and powerful, and whatever tenant you are imprisoning seems to have that strength in abundance. Work with it. I have seen half-demons be humans I in the day, and complete demons at night because they accept who they are." Touko then changed her tone to a gentler, sympathetic one. "Naruto, you are who you are. Nothing inside you will change my perspective of you. We're all born, and we all die. We just have a different story to tell for our lives. Make yours successful, a life of forgiveness and strength, not anger and revenge. Overcome the fox in you and prove to it that you are strong."

"…" Naruto didn't respond, his bangs overshadowing his eyes as he remained unresponsive.

"…I'll get the dinner ready," she finally said when she realized that Naruto would say no more. She got up and went back to the kitchen. Only when the sounds of the kitchen being in use reached his ears did Naruto let himself show the first signs of crying.

Someone believed in him and didn't care about whether he was a Jinchurriki or not. Someone told him that he was Naruto. Someone told him that he could beat the fox and tell that stupid chakra entity that he was more than insignificant.

"…For Kami's sake…" Naruto cursed, but in no way did he mean for it to be rude. His eyes weren't visible, but the tears were.

**XShuyaX**

**(Time Skip: Next Morning)**

The first thing Naruto saw was light filtering in through the window. That was irritating. He got up and stretched out his body as he yawned, no longer feeling the pain of moving freely.

"Good morning," a voice said from inside the kitchen. The blond widened his eyes; he had barely made a sound, careful to make as little noise as possible so that he wouldn't wake up the woman. Then the smell of food made itself known. Naruto slumped his shoulders in defeat and trudged his way to the kitchen silently, berating himself. Not only had he not woken up before Touko-san, but she was also able to cook breakfast, all without disturbing him from his slumber. What a ninja he was…

What greeted him was similar to what greeted him yesterday: a table full of food and a patient Touko waiting in her seat. After being given the gesture to sit, Naruto took his seat and began to eat after she began to eat.

After a silent breakfast, tea was passed out. This time, it was lemon tea with a hint of honey. Naruto found it to his liking and said so with a wide grin, his original personality returned after a long night of thinking.

"That's good. Naruto, I spoke with the Headmaster last night and you have been put under my charge…as my _nephew_." A look of shock was her response. Naruto almost dropped his cup in his surprise, but he managed to regain his "composure".

"W-what?!" Was his genius response.

"Yesterday, you let out so much power that I feel it is not incorrect believe that at least a quarter of the magically aware persons in this campus is aware of you. To get rid of the suspicions, I went to the Headmaster and told them it was you and that you were a relative. I hope that you are not too troubled with this development," she said with a smile, truly hoping that Naruto would be okay with this situation. He would live under her roof until he was deemed ready to live on his own, and she was fine with that. She wanted to know how it was to have a child since she never had one, and an nephew, although not truly a relative, was as good as anyway. Besides, it seemed to her that the child needed help and that he wasn't willing to reveal what she already knew, so this was beneficial to him as well.

"I…thank you." That was all he said for his sign for acceptance, but the sincerity behind his voice was enough to make up for the lack of words. Touko smiled happily.

"Good. Now, we have to go shopping for you _school uniform_ and prepare you for _school_. And we have to take test to see what level you should be in, and then ask the Headmaster to add you in the list of students for the co-ed academy." Naruto's face paled as she continued to list of the day's list of activities that all seemed to be related to school.

'_For Kami's sake….' _This time, the curse was not meant kindly.

**XShuyaX**

**(Time Skip: One Week)**

It was the first day of school; summer break had just ended. Naruto had taken a test and had failed miserably, which lowered his spirits considerably after having spent six hours outside shopping, getting books and schools utensils and necessities, and then getting enrolled. The problem wasn't failing; it was failing in front of Touko that made him sad. She was someone that he definitely didn't want to fail in front of again, and he stated that as a promise. The next day, she woke up to Naruto and his clones reading through a plethora of textbooks, studying. If she actually knew how the blond was, _studying _would be the absolute last thing he would have done. What she didn't know was that it was because of her that he was putting so much effort into something he disliked. After a week of clone-enhanced studying, he passed the test and managed to place himself into a sixth grade class, a huge jump from his third grade result from the week prior.

Naruto tugged on his tie, slightly embarrassed. He was uncomfortable, but he dealt with it as best he could. After all, Touko said that he looked like such a handsome student, and he didn't want to let her down, so he decided to go on with the uniform. Well, he did complain about his orange jumpsuit, but she told him that the clothes he came into this world with were not under regulations, but she would be fine with him wearing it while he trained. He accepted the terms and went off to school.

A week did a lot to the relationship budding between the two. Naruto actually began to look at Touko as family, not just someone who saved him or some kind lady that gave him food and helped him to recover. And Touko found Naruto an endearing child that had certain characteristic that made him unique, but all the more endearing. She was stern with him at times, telling him what not to do, but otherwise, the two matched each other perfectly. Touko never had so much fun with a child before.

"Ah…this is the room, right?" Taking a glance at his schedule once more to make sure, he nodded his head when he matched the number of the class with the number of the paper. "1-A…this is it." Taking a moment to prepare himself, he took a deep breath before opening the sliding door and walking into the classroom.

Everyone was talking. Not a single person even looked to the door when he entered, and no one glared at him when he was noticed. In the room, everyone was wearing a uniform identical to his or similar to his, depending on the gender. Looking around for a moment, he spotted a seat and quietly sat down.

"Hey, are you new here? My name is Kaiza Takashi." A boy asked in a friendly tone.

Naruto grinned before he told him "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, 'ttebayo!"

Maybe he could deal with this.

**XShuyaX**

**(Time Skip: One Month)**

It all happened so suddenly.

Naruto was training outside with his scroll in tow, carefully going through all of the guides in the **Forbidden Scroll**. Yes, guides. The Hokages seemed to be very thorough…except the first Hokage. He did it just for the kicks, and the rest of the Hokages followed in his footsteps, thinking he put in guides as a formality. Oh, how wrong they were.

When Naruto first came upon a chakra control guide written by _the First Hokage_, he opened it, and with mixed emotions ranging from shock to joy, although he ended up giving the scroll a blank look. The first hokage seemed to have a prankster streak in him as well! The guide said it was mainly for Kage's, which was understandable to Naruto, but what caught him off guard was that there was a guide for _Beginner's _in the back. BEGGINERS! And the First Hokage's explanation was –

"Basics are the most important. Whenever you feel down, just take this chakra control book and you'll feel much better about yourself. Or, if by some strange impossibility, a child comes across this, takes away the scroll by some impossible means, and then disappears, may this help him or her." Yup, Naruto found the First Hokage to be a pretty cool guy so far. And when he had finished the first guide for beginners, there was a guide for advanced beginners, and it kept going up the ladder until Kage. The same could be said for other techniques; all of the Hokages were extremely thorough in their explanations for their techniques and how to build up to it. Jeez, and to think that it all began because the First Hokage was just screwing around, spending more time spewing out bull on the **Forbidden Scroll **than actually working.

Either way, he had to thank the First Hokage, and in turn, the rest of the Hokages. He was certain that he had at least Genin control down to a certain degree; to which degree, he wasn't certain, but Genin control was way better than the civilian control he had a month previous. Seriously, he was literally wasting tons of chakra in every chakra related thing he did. Overpowering jutsus did sometimes manage to make great results…or bad results depending on the perspective. Touko was not pleased to see a decent portion of the forest torn apart by one of Naruto's wind jutsus.

Naruto was going through the list of techniques, of which he had only mastered four techniques, three of which were C-rank, the remaining one B-rank. For some reason, learning wind techniques came to him much more easily than the other elements. And don't get Naruto even started with magic.

Magic was just weird to Naruto. He was certain he could learn it, as he was able to perform some elementary spells with a basic wand, but it just felt weird to him. Maybe at a later date he would start learning it, but for now, he would prioritize chakra. And just getting that through Touko was an interesting affair as well, the small fact that he had chakra, which was, in definition, a mixture of physical and spiritual energies. That should, in her words, be considered Kanka, not chakra, something that Takamichi used. Strangely, Naruto's mixture was very different from Kanka, but perhaps just as destructive. She had given it thought, but instead just let it be, just as how Naruto let it be that there was no chakra in this world and instead magic. Different means, same ends.

Currently, the young blond was peacefully sitting down as he stared at the scroll as the rest of his clones practiced techniques, worked on chakra control, or studied. Then, he heard the sound of footsteps. Having gotten used to hearing it, he didn't look up. It was about the time Touko came back from work anyway.

"Hey, Kaa-san," he said, still not looking up from the scroll; damn this technique was interesting. This development happened about a week ago when Naruto accidently said the term, but Touko seemed to be delighted with it, so Naruto continued to call her Kaa-san. Well, only when they were alone. Otherwise, he was still her nephew.

"What did you say?" A voice asked with a small amount of hostility. Finally looking up, only then did Naruto realize his mistake. In front of him was not Touko Kuzohana, but a small, petite girl with a very different hairstyle than what Naruto would have seen in the Elemental Nations, but not too surprising in this new world called Earth. She was giving the blond an irritated look as she held onto a sword, and her grip seemed to intensify when Naruto remained silent, just staring up at the girl.

The tension in the air seemed to go away a bit when another pair of footsteps was heard, and a few moments later Touko appeared. Her eyes lit up with recognition when she saw the girl.

"Oh, Setsuna-chan. I didn't know you came already!" She said, surprised by the girl's appearance. The girl gave a small bow and a nod, simply replying that she had gotten on the early train. "I see. Well, it seems you have met Naruto, so our introductions seemed to be finished. Come, Naruto. I'll make dinner while you take a shower, okay?" A barely perceptible nod was the response.

When the door closed behind the two females, Naruto and his clones all remained still, just staring blankly at the door.

"Boss, you done blew it." A poof from the clone as it dispersed, giving all of its new knowledge and memories to the original.

"…"

"Yea, I'm pretty sure that was a big screw up right there. Way to introduce yourself. Way to go." Another poof. This pattern continued until the original was left, now staring quietly at the newly risen moon.

"Naruto, dinner's ready!"

Setsuna Sakurazaki suddenly came crashing into his life, and she was already screwing with him. He was too lost in his thoughts; he hadn't even taken his shower.

"…This sucks."

**Chapter End.**

**Not much happened here, but at least we have an idea of who's around and what's going on, kind of. In the next chapter, I'll be able to actually go on with the story, so it'll be better…hopefully.**

**Anyway, tell me what you think. If there's something wrong, tell me, please!**

**Hope you all enjoyed. **

**Kenzo, peacing out.**


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